Rainy Weekend - Park with Griffin

 

It's been raining a bit every day for the last few weeks, which is kind of typical this time of year, but seems like it's super consistently rainy in the afternoons lately. It's cooling off a little which is wonderful, and the yellow flies seem to be less prevalent, but the rain has been limiting our outdoor enjoyment. On Friday, Amanda and Griffin came by the house to hang out in the afternoon and we rode to the park on our golf cart. Paige and Millie had fun chasing Griffin around the playground equipment and we all took some turns on the swings too. Paige went to the Goble's house for the weekend and had a lot of fun going to Graydon's flag football game and hanging out with their 4 year old neighbor girl Viv. 

The rest of us were home this weekend, I took Millie Mae on a long walk, and we also finally got our new basketball goal put in for Connor. The old one had a damaged base and blew over recently in a storm and we decided to get a more permanent setup.

Graydon Stays Overnight - I9 Football, Board Games, Beach Day

Last weekend we had Graydon over to hang out with us on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday morning we went to Creekside Highschool for Graydon's first I9 Flag Football game. Unfortunately we showed up a couple minutes after it started and missed his touchdown, but the rest of the game was entertaining. Graydon's team was down 6-12 and on the final play of the game their QB threw a pass in to a crowd, the ball got tipped up in the air and landed right in one of Graydon's teammate's hands who ran it in for the tying touchdown. Quite the finish to the game, and we were glad they finished with a tie instead of a loss.

The rest of the weekend with Graydon was pretty chill. It's been raining a lot lately, so Saturday we chilled at the house. Paige and Graydon made some grilled cheese together and were cute about hanging out a lot. I set up my laptop on the TV tray in Paige's room so they were able to do some gaming.

In the evening we played some board games: Zingo, Sleeping Queens, and then Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza. Lots of laughs and fun, the kids were in great moods and it was way more exciting than I expected.

Sunday we went to the beach with the kids and with Millie Mae. We drove separately, so I took Paige and Graydon to the ocean and Andrea showed up with Connor a bit later since they needed to take care of some lab work for Connor. The water was amazing, probably the best I've ever seen at our beach. It was a yellow flag day, but the waves were still large and spaced out well. Perfect for surfing and bodyboards. We ate lunch at the Surf Club and poor Millie had to sit in her travel kennel and hide in the wagon since dogs aren't allowed. Thankfully she was a good girl and we were able to enjoy a nice lunch at the restaurant. 

 After the beach, we washed up at home and then went over to the Goble's house for the Chief's game.

Coach Cristina Tennis Lesson - Connor, Paige, and Me

In the evening on Labor Day, Connor, Paige, and I went to a group tennis lesson with Coach Cristina. The kids have been going to her lately and it's a pretty good workout and she has great feedback. It was my first time going. The court is in her neighborhood, just south of ours, and Connor drove us over. It was a hot day and it was a pretty high intensity hour and a half workout without a lot of downtime. The kids both hit well and I was impressed with their consistency and with their serves. I took a time out during the serve workout to give my shoulder a break as it's been bothering me for a while now. It gave me a chance to take some pics and videos of the kids.

Labor Day Monday Swimming with the Gobles

 

Monday, Labor Day, there was no school and I took the day off from work to have some family time. We went to lunch and then the Gobles came over for some swimming. For the first time in a long time we were able to swim as long as we wanted and it didn't rain on us. Griffin had a great time putting his face in the water, Connor and Graydon played a lot of basketball, and I practiced volleyball skills with a beach ball with Andrea, Amanda, and Paige. Ryan tried fishing in the pond behind our house but was unfortunately unsuccessful at catching anything. 

I'd been trying to get some action shots of Millie Mae jumping in the pool and finally got the settings right so it didn't blow focus.

Labor Day Weekend Orlando - Four Seasons

Saturday, on the Labor Day weekend, we went to Orlando for a family weekend together. We stopped at the Uno's that's on International Drive since the one we usually go to near Disney Springs is now closed and that area's been bulldozed for some new construction project. After checking in, we went to the pool to enjoy the amenities while we could. This year especially, it seems to rain and storm every afternoon or evening. 

I'd had a dark spot on my cheek removed and had to wear a bandaid all weekend. Connor was a bit uncomfortable since his skin's a little irritated with his Accutane medicine. He's been on it now for eight weeks and recently had upped his dose. His lips are dry and over the weekend his skin was a bit red all over. He kept his shirt on and stayed in the shade most of the time we were at the pool. 

Saturday afternoon we played volleyball at the Hideout and went around the lazy river a bunch. We got some snacks by the pool and then enjoyed watching the US Open in the room in the evening. 

Sunday morning we slept in, went to lunch at PB&G's, and then enjoyed the resort the rest of the day. We'd intended to stay the night, but as it was getting rainy and we'd already done most of the things we wanted to do, we drove home on Sunday night so we'd have a full day at home on Monday. Overall, we had a wonderful time goofing off with the kids and enjoying our family time together.